CALPIRG - Foodhttps://calpirg.org/topics/food
enCongress Should Reject Pesticide-Laden Farm Billhttps://calpirg.org/news/usp/congress-should-reject-pesticide-laden-farm-bill
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For Immediate Release
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<span class="date-display-single" property="dc:date" datatype="xsd:dateTime" content="2018-06-21T00:00:00-07:00">Thursday, June 21, 2018</span>
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<p><strong>WASHINGTON</strong> – This afternoon, a Farm Bill (H.R. 2) loaded with anti-health provisions is back for a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives. The House previously rejected H.R. 2 by a vote of 198 to 213. Today, Congress again considers a dirty Farm Bill that would undermine protections for clean water, sustainable farming, and our health. More specifically, H.R. 2 would:</p>
<ul><li>Exempt pesticide pollution from the Clean Water Act, even though pesticides have contributed to more than 1,800 instances of water pollution across the country. </li>
<li>Eliminate the Conservation Stewardship Program, the nation's largest conservation program by acreage, a program that promotes sustainable farming and good soil health.</li>
<li>Pre-empt state and local laws aimed at health and environmental impacts of factory farms.</li>
<li>Eliminate public input and sustainable impact considerations for a wide range of activities on public lands.</li>
</ul><p>The bill would allow large agrochemical companies to dump toxic pesticides and chemicals into our rivers, lakes and drinking water. It would have also undermined efforts by farmers who want to produce healthier food with fewer chemicals. </p>
<p>Farmers such as Iowa native Seth Watkins want to farm their land sustainably, safeguarding the land for future generations. Mr. Watkins said, “I just want us to stop subsidizing the wrong things.”</p>
<p>Poisoning our water and land to grow our food makes no sense. Congress should reject this dirty Farm Bill start over with legislation that promotes both healthy food and clean water. So far, the Senate Farm Bill offers the nation a far better path than H.R. 2. </p>
<p>According to Kara Cook, Toxics Director at U.S. PIRG, “We don't need to poison our water and land to grow our food. We’re calling on Congress to continue to reject these bad policies. It is time to start over with a Farm Bill that promotes healthy food, healthy people and healthy farms.”</p>
<p><em>U.S. PIRG is an advocate for the public interest, working to win concrete results on real problems that affect millions of lives, and standing up for the public against powerful interests when they push the other way.</em></p>
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<a href="/topics/public-health" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Public Health</a> </div>
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<a href="/topics/food" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Food</a> </div>
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“Americans deserve healthy food, healthy water, and healthy air. We need a Farm Bill that promotes sustainable farming, not one that subsidizes water pollution and increased pesticide spraying.”
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U.S. PIRG
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<p>Today, Congress again considers a dirty Farm Bill that would undermine protections for clean water, sustainable farming, and our health.</p>
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Thu, 21 Jun 2018 15:56:09 +0000kara.cook65811 at https://calpirg.orghttps://calpirg.org/news/usp/congress-should-reject-pesticide-laden-farm-bill#commentsSummer 2018 News Briefshttps://calpirg.org/resources/cap/summer-2018-news-briefs
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<a href="/topics/public-health" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Public Health</a> </li>
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<a href="/topics/consumer-protection" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Consumer Protection</a> </li>
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<a href="/topics/food" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Food</a> </li>
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<a href="/topics/transportation" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Transportation</a> </li>
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<h4><strong><a name="Consumer" id="Consumer"></a>Consumer Protection</strong></h4>
<h2>Defending The Protections Americans Rely On</h2>
<p><img alt="" class="media-image" width="620" typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://calpirg.org/sites/pirg/files/NSL_Sum18_USN_ConsumerPhoto_0.jpg" /></p>
<p><em>CALPIRG's Ed Mierzwinski speaks to the need for stronger consumer protections after the Equifax data breach and congressional attacks on the Consumer Bureau. Photo: C-SPAN</em></p>
<p dir="ltr">After the 2008 economic crisis, millions of Americans lost their jobs, their homes, their retirement savings and more. That’s why our national network played a lead role in setting up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and helped put in place rules of the road to keep Wall Street in check.</p>
<p dir="ltr">But now, in the name of regulatory reform, Wall Street, big banks and their allies in Congress are working to strip away these rules and dismantle the Consumer Bureau. With the support of our members, CALPIRG is on the ground in Sacramento and Washington, D.C., keeping an eye on threats to commonsense consumer protections.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>Opposing Anti-Consumer Attacks In Washington</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">We’ve been successful in stopping legislation that would change the funding and leadership structure of the Consumer Bureau, both of which are key to the agency’s past success and continued independence. And we’ve been hard at work opposing the anti-consumer moves of Mick Mulvaney, who has been limiting the Consumer Bureau’s capabilities since the president put him in charge of the agency last November.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Another major threat to consumers is S.2155, a bank deregulation bill that will likely increase mortgage fraud, racial discrimination and risky banking practices; replace stronger state laws against identity theft; and more.</p>
<p dir="ltr">With your support, our advocates fiercely opposed this legislation to let Equifax and big banks off the hook, and are calling on decision-makers at the state and national levels to instead enact reforms to give consumers more control over our financial lives.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>Solutions To Problems We All Face</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">Whether it’s defending the original mission of the Consumer Bureau or opposing bills that ignore the painful lessons of the 2008 financial crisis, CALPIRG works to unite people from across the political spectrum around commonsense solutions to problems we all face.</p>
<p dir="ltr">But we couldn’t do any of this without the support of our members. With you by our side, we’ll continue defending consumers and working toward a safer, healthier, more secure future.</p>
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<h4><a name="EVs" id="EVs"></a>21st Century Transportation</h4>
<h2>Paving The Way For Electric Transportation</h2>
<p><img alt="" class="media-image" width="620" typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://calpirg.org/sites/pirg/files/NSL_Sum18_USN_EVPhoto.jpg" /></p>
<p><em>The number of electric vehicles on America’s streets is at an all-time high, but are our cities ready to accommodate this rise in clean cars? Photo: </em><em>Matej Kastelic via Shutterstock</em></p>
<p dir="ltr">Sales of electric vehicles nationwide increased 38 percent in 2016, and another 32 percent in 2017, according to a February report from CALPIRG Education Fund and Frontier Group. California can accelerate this progress, and also transition to electric school and transit buses, by taking advantage of our portion of the $2.9 billion settlement of Volkswagen’s massive emissions scandal intended for environmental mitigation actions.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Another report released in May by CALPIRG Education Fund and Frontier Group shows the majority of America’s buses remain dirty—but clean, all-electric buses are available, and they’re cheaper for school districts and transit agencies to run in the long term.</p>
<p dir="ltr">An all-electric transportation future offers many benefits, including cleaner air and the opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. With your support, we can leave federal inaction in the slow lane and put our communities on a fast track to a cleaner, healthier future.</p>
<p><a href="https://calpirg.org/reports" target="_blank">Check out CALPIRG Education Fund's latest reports here.</a></p>
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<h4><a name="Democracy" id="Democracy"></a>Democracy</h4>
<h2>California Launches New Motor Voter Law</h2>
<p><img alt="" class="media-image" width="620" typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://calpirg.org/sites/pirg/files/5139407571_176d0729e6_o.jpg" /></p>
<p><em>Our democracy is strongest when all citizens make their voices heard on Election Day. Photo: justgrimes via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)</em></p>
<p>In April, California’s long-awaited motor voter law went into effect. Now, eligible Californians who apply for driver’s licenses will be automatically registered to vote unless they opt out.</p>
<p>The law modernizes voter registration in our state by merging the registration process with the driver’s license application and renewal process, and by eliminating the error-prone paper form system that preceded it.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The law also facilitates the pre-registration of 16- and 17-year-olds who interact with the Department of Motor Vehicles, a crucial CALPIRG-backed provision that encourages civic engagement among the next generation of California voters.</p>
<p dir="ltr">CALPIRG has supported this overdue investment in our democratic system since 2015, because our government is strongest when all citizens make their voices heard on Election Day. With support from our members, CALPIRG will continue our work to modernize our election systems and encourage voter participation.</p>
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<h4><a name="Lead" id="Lead"></a>Toxics</h4>
<h2>Getting The Lead Out Of Oakland Schools</h2>
<p><img alt="" class="media-image" width="620" typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://calpirg.org/sites/pirg/files/Screen%20Shot%202018-03-01%20at%2011.36.58%20AM%20-%20Emily%20Rusch.png" /></p>
<p><em>CALPIRG Executive Director Emily Rusch testifies before the Oakland Unified School District Board of Directors in favor of strengthening the district’s policies related to lead in drinking water.</em> <em>Photo: KRON4</em></p>
<p dir="ltr">When we send our children to school, we’re making an investment in their future.</p>
<p dir="ltr">But too often, children are exposed to lead—a potent neurotoxin—in their schools’ drinking water. At one early childhood center in Oakland, test results indicated lead levels more than 200 times the limit recommended by pediatricians.</p>
<p dir="ltr">That’s why CALPIRG launched the Oakland Get The Lead Out coalition, a group of organizations dedicated to ridding one of California’s largest school districts of lead contamination in its drinking water.</p>
<p dir="ltr">We celebrated real progress earlier this year when the Oakland Unified School District Board of Directors approved a new policy that expands testing of water fountains throughout the district and requires school officials to shut off and fix water outlets that test positive for more than 5 parts per billion of lead.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Still, no amount of lead is safe. That’s why CALPIRG is pushing the district to commit to replacing all lead-bearing parts in its water systems—and to filter its water until that work is finished.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><a href="https://calpirg.org/feature/cap/get-lead-out" target="_blank">Read more about our Get The Lead Out campaign here.</a></p>
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Fri, 01 Jun 2018 19:14:05 +0000jhinkle64711 at https://calpirg.orghttps://calpirg.org/resources/cap/summer-2018-news-briefs#commentsBan Bee-Killing Pesticideshttps://calpirg.org/issues/cap/ban-bee-killing-pesticides
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<h2>Our Food Supply Relies On Bees</h2>
<p>We have to stop the bee die-off and help this vitally important species recover, for the sake of our food, the environment and our economy. </p>
<p>Bees are <a href="https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2014/06/20/fact-sheet-economic-challenge-posed-declining-pollinator-populations" target="_blank">dying</a> in the United States and around the world, and it’s a major problem. We rely on bees to pollinate <a href="https://wedocs.unep.org/rest/bitstreams/14378/retrieve" target="_blank">71 of the 100 crops</a> that provide 90 percent of the world’s food. In the U.S. alone, honey bees pollinate an estimated <a href="https://phys.org/news/2017-05-survey-honeybee-losses-horrible-bad.html" target="_blank">$15 billion</a> worth of crops every year.</p>
<p>We <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2014/05/17/opinion/spivak-loss-of-bees/" target="_blank">rely</a> on bees to pollinate everything from strawberries to broccoli to the alfalfa used to feed dairy cows. Imagine no almonds, less coffee and chocolate, fewer apples and strawberries, less ice cream and milk … the list goes on.</p>
<p>The bottom line: without bees, we don’t have food.</p>
<p><img alt="" class="media-image" style="font-size: 13.008px;" width="620" typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://calpirg.org/sites/pirg/files/WEB_USP_BeeFoodCollage-credit.png" /></p>
<div style="background-color: #ccc; padding-top: 15px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px; padding-bottom: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-top: -30px; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.5em;"><strong>OUR FAVORITE FOODS</strong> — Bees play an important role in pollinating some of our favorite foods, from strawberries and apples to almonds and coffee.</div>
<h2>10,000 Times More Toxic To Bees Than DDT </h2>
<p>Scientists <a href="http://www.xerces.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/HowNeonicsCanKillBees_XercesSociety_Nov2016.pdf" target="_blank">point to pesticides</a> as one of the main factors causing bees to die off in alarming numbers, in particular a class of bee-killing insecticides known as neonicotinoids (or neonics). </p>
<p>When seeds are treated with neonics, the chemicals work their way into the pollen and nectar of the plants — which, of course, is bad news for bees and other pollinators. </p>
<p>Worse, neonics are at least <a href="http://www.tfsp.info/findings/harm/" target="_blank">5,000-10,000</a> times more toxic to bees than DDT. </p>
<p>Just one example: After a nearby farm planted corn seeds coated with neonics in 2013, farmer Dave Schuit <a href="http://www.thepost.on.ca/2013/06/19/bees-dying-by-the-millions#sthash.JcPO7A8C.dpuf" target="_blank">lost 37 million of his bees</a>. “Once the corn started to get planted, our bees died by the millions,” said Schuit.<span style="font-size: 13.008px;"> </span></p>
<p><img alt="" class="media-image" width="620" typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://calpirg.org/sites/pirg/files/WEB_USP_Beekeeper-credit.png" /></p>
<div style="background-color: #ccc; padding-top: 15px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px; padding-bottom: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-top: -30px; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.5em;"><strong>UNPRECEDENTED LOSSES</strong> — In recent years, beekeepers report they’re losing an average 30 percent of all honey bee colonies each winter, twice the amount considered sustainable.</div>
<h2>We Can Eliminate These Pesticides</h2>
<p>Given the consequences for our farms and our food, you’d think we’d be doing all we can to protect bees and other pollinators from neonics. </p>
<p>Scientists say that we don’t even need to spray these chemicals, since we have commonsense <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4284368/" target="_blank">alternatives</a> like altering the time of planting and watering, and planting more native species. </p>
<p>Yet <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-05-14/bee-deaths-prompt-calls-for-u-s-to-ban-some-pesticides" target="_blank">big agrichemical companies</a> like Monsanto, Dow Chemical, Bayer and Syngenta are fighting to prevent bans. Syngenta has even asked federal regulators for permission to use even larger quantities of these pesticides — as much as <a href="https://www.eenews.net/stories/1060005321" target="_blank">400 times</a> more than currently allowed. </p>
<p>Alarmed by the role these chemicals are playing in the decline of bee populations, the European Union has <a href="https://www.eea.europa.eu/highlights/neonicotinoid-pesticides-are-a-huge" target="_blank">banned</a> several of them; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has <a href="https://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/press-releases/3298/victory-fish-and-wildlife-service-to-phase-out-neonicotinoids#" target="_blank">committed to phasing them out</a> on the public lands they manage; and cities like <a href="http://council.seattle.gov/2014/09/25/council-bans-neonicotinoid-pesticides-on-city-land-2/" target="_blank">Seattle</a> and states like <a href="https://www.bna.com/maryland-first-state-n57982073298/" target="_blank">Maryland</a> have taken action as well. </p>
<p>Still, even with evidence showing that neonics need to be banned, we continue to spray about <a href="https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2017-01/documents/pesticides-industry-sales-usage-2016_0.pdf" target="_blank">46 million pounds</a> of these pesticides on our homes, gardens and public spaces every year. </p>
<p><img alt="" class="media-image" width="620" typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://calpirg.org/sites/pirg/files/WEB_USP_BeeYellowFlower-credit.png" /></p>
<div style="background-color: #ccc; padding-top: 15px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px; padding-bottom: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-top: -30px; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.5em;"><strong>NO SAFE PLACE FOR A BEE TO EXIST</strong> — According to a recent study, about three quarters of all honey worldwide is contaminated with pesticides known to harm bees.</div>
<h2>It’s Time For States To Take Action</h2>
<p>For the past several years, PIRG and other groups have asked the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ban these pesticides nationwide, and they have failed to do so. We’re not waiting on the EPA any longer. Now, to protect bees and our food supply, we're calling on states to act. </p>
<p>In order to restore bee populations to health and save our food supply, we need states to ban the sale of bee-killing pesticides for our homes, parks and gardens and ensure that they are not used on state property. </p>
<p>If enough states take action, we will eliminate the use of more than <a href="https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2017-01/documents/pesticides-industry-sales-usage-2016_0.pdf" target="_blank">40 percent</a> of insecticides used in this country. That’s a lot of bees that we can save — bees that will pollinate our food. </p>
<p>That kind of collective action will be a strong signal to large chemical companies and the federal government that we want them to stop poisoning our parks, homes and food with these products. </p>
<p>Right now, we’re spraying chemicals that are known to kill bees just as we’re in the midst of an unsustainable die-off in bee populations. That has to change — now. </p>
<p>Join us in calling on Gov. Brown to take action to protect bees and our food. </p>
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<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://calpirg.org/sites/pirg/files/styles/full-node-page-image/public/splash/WEB_USP_BeeWhiteFlower-credit.png?itok=1IxLIU-F" width="620" height="190" />
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<p><strong>A SMALL POLLINATOR, A BIG PROBLEM</strong> — Millions of bees are dying off every year, and scientists point to a widely used class of pesticides as one of the main causes.</p>
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<a href="/topics/public-health" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Public Health</a> </div>
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<a href="/topics/food" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Food</a> </div>
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<div class="field field-name-field-issue-feeder-title field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Issue updates</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-shared-call field-type-link-field field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="https://calpirg.webaction.org/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=23867" class="call-to-action">TELL GOV. BROWN: BAN BEE-KILLING PESTICIDES</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-term-topics field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above">
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<a href="/topics/food" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Food</a> </div>
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Wed, 22 Nov 2017 22:16:46 +0000lbrennan58851 at https://calpirg.orghttps://calpirg.org/issues/cap/ban-bee-killing-pesticides#commentsFall 2017 News Briefshttp://uspirg.org/resources/usp/fall-2017-news-briefs
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<a href="/topics/democracy" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Democracy</a> </li>
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<a href="/topics/food" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Food</a> </li>
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<h2><strong><a name="Personal-Care-Products" id="Personal-Care-Products"></a>Pledge To Be Toxic-Free</strong></h2>
<p><strong>Finding Out What Is In Our Personal Care Products</strong></p>
<p><strong><img alt="" class="media-image" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="620" typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://calpirg.org/sites/pirg/files/styles/large/public/USN%20TEMPLATE%20STORY%203%20PHOTO%20-%20TOXICS.jpg?itok=4sstvfHg" /></strong></p>
<p>Over the past year, your support has helped us make great strides in our efforts to get the makers of personal care product to either disclose or remove toxic ingredients from their products.</p>
<p>After CALPIRG helped push Procter &amp; Gamble and Unilever to take steps to improve ingredient transparency, SC Johnson—maker of products like Glade—responded to our call for change. The company agreed to remove galaxolide, a toxic chemical associated with developmental problems, from its products.</p>
<p>Then for Mother’s Day, CALPIRG joined coalition partners to deliver more than 150,000 petitions to L’Oréal, calling on the company to remove chemicals of concern and disclose fragrance ingredients, which can include dangerous chemicals like phthalates and styrene. </p>
<h2><a name="Modernize-The-Vote" id="Modernize-The-Vote"></a>Democracy</h2>
<p><strong>Red And Blue States Agree On Modernizing The Vote </strong></p>
<p><strong><img alt="" class="media-image" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="620" typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://calpirg.org/sites/pirg/files/styles/large/public/USN%20TEMPLATE%20STORY%204%20PHOTO%20-%20AVR.jpg?itok=XrGXn_az" /></strong></p>
<p>A simple, effective way to make our elections more modern, convenient and accurate is being adopted in red and blue states across the country, from Connecticut to Alaska.</p>
<p>It’s called automatic voter registration, and it works like this: Whenever a citizen interacts with a specific government agency, often the DMV, they’re automatically added to the voter rolls unless they opt out. </p>
<p>More and more states are adopting the policy. Thanks to the hard work of our colleagues at Illinois PIRG, this summer Illinois became the tenth state to approve automatic voter registration, passing the bill into law with unanimous, bipartisan support. Now, CALPIRG is working with our members to modernize the vote across the country.</p>
<h2><a name="Chlorpyrifos" id="Chlorpyrifos"></a>Toxics</h2>
<p><strong>EPA Head Ignores Science On Dangerous Insecticide</strong></p>
<p><strong><img alt="" class="media-image" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="620" typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://calpirg.org/sites/pirg/files/styles/large/public/USN%20TEMPLATE%20STORY%205%20PHOTO%20-%20EPA.jpg?itok=CH6bmYC8" /></strong></p>
<p>Crucial decisions that will affect our children’s health should rely on scientific evidence. But Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt’s decision not to ban chlorpyrifos, an insecticide sprayed on the food we eat, ignored the EPA’s own scientists, who warned last year that chlorpyrifos is linked to brain and developmental damage in children.</p>
<p>For years, science has shown that chlorpyrifos is dangerous. In fact, the EPA banned the indoor use of the insecticide more than a decade ago. But it’s still used on food crops, and the EPA estimates that 90 percent of American women have unsafe levels of chlorpyrifos in their bloodstream. Alongside our members, CALPIRG is calling on the EPA to revisit its decision in states across the nation to ban chlorpyrifos.</p>
<h2><a name="Healthy-Farms" id="Healthy-Farms"></a>Healthy Farms, Healthy Families</h2>
<p><strong>Reducing Farms’ Reliance On Chemicals &amp; Fertilizers </strong></p>
<p><strong><img alt="" class="media-image" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="620" typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://calpirg.org/sites/pirg/files/styles/large/public/USN%20TEMPLATE%20STORY%206%20PHOTO%20-%20FARMS.jpg?itok=5ZfRgO9q" /></strong></p>
<p>Today, Americans are interested in whether their food is sustainable, and whether the farming practices that produce it help or hurt our health and the environment. Yet we spend billions of tax dollars every year on subsidies that incentivize practices that require more and more chemicals, putting our food, drinking water and health at risk.</p>
<p>But many farmers and researchers agree we can grow as much food as we do now without relying so heavily on chemicals. Shouldn’t we invest in farming practices that grow the food we need and also protect our health and environment? </p>
<p>CALPIRG is building a coalition of concerned citizens, farmers and health professionals. Together, we can convince our decision makers in Washington, D.C., that we need better farm policies—ones that support healthy farms and healthy families.</p>
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Wed, 27 Sep 2017 19:35:30 +0000tmccann57751 at https://calpirg.orghttp://uspirg.org/resources/usp/fall-2017-news-briefs#commentsWarning Labels for Roundup — Coming Soon in Californiahttps://calpirg.org/blogs/blog/cap/warning-labels-roundup-%E2%80%94-coming-soon-california
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<div class="field field-name-field-shared-post-date field-type-datetime field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single" property="dc:date" datatype="xsd:dateTime" content="2017-06-30T00:00:00-07:00">Friday, June 30, 2017</span></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden">
<p>Earlier this week California health officials announced that, starting on July 7, 2017, glyphosate — the main ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup — would be added to the state's list of cancer-causing chemicals. With this move, California has stepped up once again to be a leader in the fight to protect public health from harmful pesticides.</p>
<p>California health officials declared their intent to add glyphosate to California's Proposition 65 list of cancer-causing chemicals almost two years ago. Since then, Monsanto aggressively fought this proposal in the courts, effectively tying it up in legal proceedings and blocking it from moving forward. </p>
<p>Despite Monsanto's attempts to keep consumers in the dark, California health officials have prevailed, and this victory is great news for consumers, workers, and any other people who might be exposed to this health-harming chemical.</p>
<p>Glyphosate is one of the most commonly used weed killers. It is not only sprayed regularly on public parks and school playgrounds in many communities across the state but also widely used on food grown in California. According to the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, glyphosate is <a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-roundup-cancer-20170626-story.html">sprayed</a> on 4 million acres of crops in California.</p>
<p>And mounting scientific evidence has shown that glyphosate poses significant risks to human health. In fact, in March of 2015, the cancer research arm of the World Health Organization <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/widely-used-herbicide-linked-to-cancer/">announced</a> that glyphosate is “probably carcinogenic to humans.” In the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) report, scientists cited evidence from studies showing that glyphosate has been linked to tumors in mice and rats and has caused DNA damage to human cells. Furthermore, a 2014 study found that exposure to low levels of glyphosate can result in significant liver and kidney damage. </p>
<p>California health officials' decision to list glyphosate as a chemical known to cause cancer is an important step forward for public health and our right to know. </p>
<p>What it means is that products containing glyphosate, i.e. products like the weed killer Roundup, will soon have to carry a warning label informing consumers about the serious health risks of this product. As I pointed out in the <a href="http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/environment/sd-me-roundup-65-20170628-story.html">San Diego Union Tribune</a>, this sort of label can lead people to think twice before buying Roundup at their local Home Depot or spraying the weed killer in their backyard, garden, or some other place where children might play.</p>
<p>What has yet to be determined is whether crops that have been sprayed with glyphosate will also require warning labels. This outstanding issue is likely to be resolved in the coming months.</p>
<p>We will continue to push for labeling requirements for glyphosate that help protect public health and that provide consumers with information they need to make decisions that are right for their health and the health of their families.</p>
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Fri, 30 Jun 2017 16:08:18 +0000tmccann56546 at https://calpirg.orghttps://calpirg.org/blogs/blog/cap/warning-labels-roundup-%E2%80%94-coming-soon-california#commentsEPA’s Pruitt Met with Dow Prior to Favorable Rulinghttps://calpirg.org/blogs/blog/usp/epa%E2%80%99s-pruitt-met-dow-prior-favorable-ruling
<div class="field field-name-field-shared-post-date field-type-datetime field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single" property="dc:date" datatype="xsd:dateTime" content="2017-06-29T00:00:00-07:00">Thursday, June 29, 2017</span></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden">
<p>On March 31st, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt announced that his agency <a href="https://medium.com/u-s-pirg/epa-says-a-pesticide-is-harmful-for-children-scott-pruitt-says-lets-use-it-on-our-crops-8e591268523a">would deny a petition to ban the dangerous pesticide chlorpyrifos</a> from being sprayed on food. He announced this decision despite EPA scientists’ earlier findings that concluded that chlorpyrifos, which is manufactured by Dow Chemical, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/epa-chief-met-with-dow-ceo-before-deciding-on-pesticide-ban/2017/06/27/ef99ccde-5b9a-11e7-aa69-3964a7d55207_story.html?utm_term=.049a42a81895">can harm brain development of fetuses and infants</a> after ingesting even small amounts.</p>
<p>Chlorpyrifos is sprayed on crops like almonds, citrus fruits, apples, and cherries. Chlorpyrifos use on farms and fields in close proximately to pregnant women has been linked to <a href="https://uspirg.org/news/usf/us-pirg-tells-epa-chlorpyrifos-deadly-and-must-be-banned">autism and lower IQs in children</a>. </p>
<p>The news that the EPA would continue to allow the spraying of chlorpyrifos alarmed doctors and other public health officials but what’s even more interesting is that according to several recent Freedom of Information Act requests, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/epa-chief-met-with-dow-ceo-before-deciding-on-pesticide-ban/2017/06/27/ef99ccde-5b9a-11e7-aa69-3964a7d55207_story.html?utm_term=.049a42a81895">Pruitt met with Dow CEO Andrew Liveris</a> at a Houston hotel just twenty days prior to making his controversial decision. </p>
<p>A spokesperson for the EPA has stated that the two did not talk about chlorpyrifos, but the meeting was eyebrow-raising especially given the timing and considering that Dow has not been a stranger to the current Administration or Washington politics. In February, President Trump handed Dow CEO Liveris the pen used to sign an executive order creating task forces to roll back government regulations. And in 2016, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/epa-chief-met-with-dow-ceo-before-deciding-on-pesticide-ban/2017/06/27/ef99ccde-5b9a-11e7-aa69-3964a7d55207_story.html?utm_term=.049a42a81895">Dow spent more than $13.6 million on lobbying.</a></p>
<p>Chlorpyrifos has been <a href="https://uspirg.org/news/usf/us-pirg-tells-epa-chlorpyrifos-deadly-and-must-be-banned">banned for residential use for over a decade</a>, but similar regulations have not been made in the agriculture industry. This problem is especially of concern in the Central Valley of California, a large agricultural area in the U.S. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/apr/17/california-pesticides-central-valley-trump">In Tulare County, CA, over 1 million pounds of chlorpyrifos was applied in a five-year period.</a> Many local residents and farm workers have reported incidents of children suffering painful <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/apr/17/california-pesticides-central-valley-trump">skin irritations, learning problems, attention deficit disorders, and respiratory ailments.</a> And just earlier this week, the American Academy of Pediatrics urged EPA Administrator Pruitt to take chlorpyrifos off the market. </p>
<p>Administrator Pruitt should reverse his actions in the name of public health. In the meantime, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation should do what the Environmental Protection Agency failed to do, ban the agricultural use of chlorpyrifos. </p>
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Thu, 29 Jun 2017 19:55:13 +0000tmccann56536 at https://calpirg.orghttps://calpirg.org/blogs/blog/usp/epa%E2%80%99s-pruitt-met-dow-prior-favorable-ruling#commentsHealthy Farms, Healthy Familieshttps://calpirg.org/issues/wip/healthy-farms-healthy-families
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<p>If you are like most Americans, when you go grocery shopping, you’re probably focused on choosing healthy, tasty food for you and your family, at a good price. You might also be among the growing number of people who are <a href="https://www.ota.com/news/press-releases/19031" target="_blank">buying organic</a>, or just paying more attention to how your food is raised and grown. </p>
<p>Unless you’re a farmer, you probably aren’t paying too much attention to the complex and, in many ways, miraculous agricultural system behind all that abundance and variety — a system that provides enough food to feed hundreds of millions of Americans, and many more around the world. </p>
<p>But it’s also a system that has profound implications for our health and a huge impact on our environment. And if we don’t act soon to improve it, the decisions we make in the coming years could affect the food we eat and the water we drink for decades to come.<span style="font-size: 13.008px;"> </span></p>
<p><img alt="" class="media-image" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="620" typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://calpirg.org/sites/pirg/files/tomatoes-young-girl_MNStudio-shutterstock_298593938.jpg" /></p>
<h2><strong>OUR FARMS ARE TOO RELIANT ON CHEMICALS</strong> </h2>
<p>There is a growing body of evidence, including some research done by farmers and scientists at <a href="http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/faq-cropping-system-diversity-profitability" target="_blank">Iowa State University</a>, that suggests we can dramatically reduce the use of some synthetic chemicals while still growing as much food as we do now — and maybe more.</p>
<p>Why is that such a big deal? Most modern farms have become far too reliant on pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. These chemicals can stay on our food or drain into and pollute our drinking water, and have been linked to all kinds of problems:</p>
<ul><li><strong>American farms used nearly 900 million pounds of pesticides </strong><a href="https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2017-01/documents/pesticides-industry-sales-usage-2016_0.pdf" target="_blank">in the most recent year for which we have data</a>, and chief among them is glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup. The chemicals in Roundup have been linked to <a href="https://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/iarcnews/2016/glyphosate_IARC2016.php" target="_blank">cancer</a> and other health problems, and are showing up in our <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carey-gillam/fda-tests-confirm-oatmeal_b_12252824.html" target="_blank">food and water</a>.</li>
<li><strong>Chlorpyrifos is an insecticide used on many fruits and vegetables, which <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/03/29/521898976/will-the-epa-reject-a-pesticide-or-its-own-scientific-evidence" target="_blank">often remains</a> on the produce when it’s bought at the grocery store.</strong> <a href="https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-07/documents/chlorpyrifos_sap_april_2016_final_minutes.pdf" target="_blank">One EPA analysis estimates</a> that almost 90 percent of women of childbearing age have traces of chlorpyrifos in them, and the insecticide has been shown to cause <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8629864" target="_blank">brain and developmental damage in children</a>. </li>
<li><strong>Runoff from farming fields can find its way into our drinking water.</strong> Nitrate runoff can be especially harmful to infants, according to <a href="https://www.epa.gov/nutrientpollution/effects-human-health" target="_blank">the EPA</a>, and is linked to “blue baby syndrome” because the babies have difficulty transporting oxygen.</li>
</ul><p><strong><img alt="" class="media-image" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="620" typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://calpirg.org/sites/pirg/files/15415567073_045898e569_o%202_0.jpg" /></strong></p>
<h2><strong>WE'RE SUBSIDIZING THIS CHEMICAL OVERUSE</strong></h2>
<p>Every year, the U.S. government spends <a href="https://farm.ewg.org/crop_insurance_analysis.php" target="_blank">billions of dollars</a> on subsidies for insurance on crops like corn, wheat, and soybeans. These heavy subsidies incentivize farmers to plant the same crop year after year.</p>
<p>However, planting the same crops over and over again drains the soil of nutrients, and farmers must rely more and more on fertilizers to replenish the soil, and on pesticides to keep weeds, insects and more from flourishing, in order to ensure a successful harvest. This increased chemical use puts our food, our drinking water and the health of our families at risk.</p>
<p>But many farmers and researchers agree we can grow as much food as we do now, without relying so heavily on chemicals. In one study done over the course of 13 years <a href="http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/faq-cropping-system-diversity-profitability" target="_blank">at Iowa State University</a>, farmers and researchers were able to reduce the use of herbicides by 88 percent by using diverse crop rotations. And those researchers believe there is a realistic possibility these systems could be expanded to a larger scale in order to “greatly reduce the need for fossil fuels, chemicals and synthetic fertilizers, without sacrificing yields or profitability.” <span style="font-size: 13.008px;"> </span></p>
<p>These techniques aren’t borne out of some new, untested technology either. As an author of the study <a href="https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/19/a-simple-fix-for-food/?_r=1" target="_blank">put it</a>, “<strong>these were simple changes patterned after those used by North American farmers for generations. What we found was that if you don’t hold the natural forces back they are going to work for you.</strong>”</p>
<h2><strong>WE HAVE THE TOOLS FOR HEALTHIER FARMS</strong></h2>
<p>Shouldn’t our tax dollars be invested in the best farming practices? Practices that not only grow all the food we need, but protect our health and the environment at the same time? </p>
<p>Implementing these changes will be crucial to protecting our health and the safety of our food and drinking water. That’s why we’re building a wide coalition of concerned citizens, farmers, health professionals, and anyone who’s concerned about the health and safety of the food they feed their family or the water they drink. We’ll be in the cities that rely on the food we grow, and the farming communities that are most directly affected by the use of these chemicals. </p>
<p>Together, we can spread the word so our decision makers know that people are paying attention, and that they want our policies to support healthy farms, and healthy families. </p>
<p><em><br />
Image credits, from top: <a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/tractor-spraying-soybean-crops-pesticides-herbicides-289460621?src=SC6geRsVHTEaGCYzF_eVEQ-1-10" target="_blank">Oticki/Shutterstock</a>, <a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/little-girl-choosing-tomatoes-food-store-298593938" target="_blank">MN Studios/Shutterstock</a>, <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chafermachinery/15415567073/" target="_blank">Chafer Machinery CC by 2.0</a></em></p>
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<div class="field field-name-field-term-contacts field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Media contact:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/contacts/food" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Food</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-image-splash field-type-image field-label-hidden">
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<p><strong>INVESTING IN SMART, HEALTHY FARMING —</strong> Most modern farms are far too reliant on pesticides and synthetic fertilizers that can stay on our food or drain into and pollute our drinking water. <strong>It's time to implement low-chemical farming practices, and protect our health and environment.</strong></p>
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Wed, 31 May 2017 21:53:07 +0000tmccann55736 at https://calpirg.orghttps://calpirg.org/issues/wip/healthy-farms-healthy-families#commentsAntibiotics: Yummy Yuckyhttps://calpirg.org/blogs/blog/usp/antibiotics-yummy-yucky
<div class="field field-name-field-shared-post-date field-type-datetime field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single" property="dc:date" datatype="xsd:dateTime" content="2016-04-19T00:00:00-07:00">Tuesday, April 19, 2016</span></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden">
<p>Two of the three Yum! Brand companies announced new antibiotics policies this week. </p>
<p>The distinct policies within one corporation remind me of the <a href="http://candlewick.com/cat.asp?browse=title&amp;mode=book&amp;isbn=0763619507">Yummy Yucky</a> children’s book. Taco Bell’s chicken will come from farms that don’t misuse antibiotics -- yummy! KFC and Pizza Hut will continue to serve meat from farms that overuse antibiotics by routinely giving them to animals, even when not sick. Yucky.</p>
<p>The routine use of antibiotics on livestock and poultry operations is contributing to what public health experts call a “<a href="http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2014/amr-report/en/">post-antibiotic era</a>,” a time when our life-saving medicines will no longer work, unless changes are made now. Administering daily doses of our life-saving drugs to animals that aren’t sick has turned farms into breeding grounds for antibiotic-resistant bacteria (aka "superbugs"), which already <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/">kill an estimated 23,000 Americans</a> each year. By 2050, <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/health-30416844">superbugs may kill more people worldwide</a> than cancer.</p>
<p>So Taco Bell’s <a href="http://www.uspirg.org/news/usp/taco-bell-moves-away-chicken-raised-medically-important-antibiotics">plan</a> to raise its chicken without medically-important antibiotics by early 2017 is a really big deal. Bravo!</p>
<p>KFC, also of Yum! Brands, <a href="https://www.tacobell.com/news/statement-regarding-antibiotics">announced a policy</a> that will allow the use of antibiotics to “maintain chicken health.” That phrase implies that KFC-bound chickens will still get routine doses of our life-saving drugs as a prophylactic against infections, the same routine use of antibiotics that’s causing bacterial resistance. It’s not a solution. Pizza Hut, the final Yum! Brands sub-brand, has said it’s working on its policy, but has nothing yet in writing. </p>
<p>Here’s my suggestion to the latter two Yum! Brands: Follow the lead of Taco Bell. Better yet, go a step further and <a href="http://www.uspirg.org/blogs/blog/usp/victory-subway-commits-help-save-antibiotics">do what Subway did</a> late last year — announce a policy for all meats. Stopping the routine use of antibiotics is the only way to truly help save antibiotics and protect public health.</p>
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Tue, 19 Apr 2016 19:21:47 +0000anya@pirg.org48191 at https://calpirg.orghttps://calpirg.org/blogs/blog/usp/antibiotics-yummy-yucky#commentsTaco Bell Moves Away From Chicken Raised on Medically Important Antibiotics https://calpirg.org/news/usp/taco-bell-moves-away-chicken-raised-medically-important-antibiotics
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For Immediate Release
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<span class="date-display-single" property="dc:date" datatype="xsd:dateTime" content="2016-04-18T00:00:00-07:00">Monday, April 18, 2016</span>
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<p>Taco Bell will no longer serve chicken raised on medically important antibiotics in U.S. locations starting in 2017. The announcement was included in a <a href="http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160419005910/en/Yum!-Brands-2015-CSR-Report-Showcases-Efforts">release</a> from Taco Bell’s parent company Yum! Brands, and comes amid widespread consumer demand and concern from the medical community about the overuse of antibiotics on livestock and poultry. Taco Bell’s announcement will put major market pressure on the meat industry to stop overusing antibiotics and should push its partner brands KFC and Pizza Hut to have stronger commitments as well. </p>
<p>“We’ll certainly ‘live más’ with Taco Bell’s antibiotics commitment, it’s good for business and even better for public health,” said Matthew Wellington, Field Director U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) Antibiotics Program. “Taco Bell just filled a big order for chicken raised without medically important antibiotics for consumers and public health experts. Bravo!”</p>
<p>KFC’s antibiotics policy was also included in the release, but as written it is not as protective of public health as Taco Bell’s policy. The KFC policy continues to allow the routine use of antibiotics on chickens that aren’t sick as a prophylactic against disease. Such routine use breeds antibiotic resistant bacteria that threaten public health. </p>
<p>Consumers are increasingly aware of the <a href="http://uspirg.org/blogs/blog/usp/foundation-crumbling">health risks</a> posed by raising animals with routine antibiotics, and major fast food chains are catching onto it.</p>
<p>Last year <a href="http://uspirg.org/news/usp/mcdonald%E2%80%99s-announces-plan-cut-overuse-antibiotics-chicken">McDonald’s</a> announced that it will no longer serve chicken raised on medically important antibiotics, and Tyson Foods, a major chicken producer and a supplier to McDonald’s followed suit. Months later <a href="http://uspirg.org/blogs/blog/usp/subway%E2%80%99s-new-sandwich-helping-save-antibiotics">Subway</a> announced a transition away from all meat raised on antibiotics.</p>
<p>“Taco Bell’s commitment to save antibiotics makes it even clearer—this is not a fad, it’s an industry wide shift to <a href="http://uspirg.org/blogs/blog/usp/10-reasons-worry-about-antibiotic-resistance">protect public health</a>, and more restaurants like KFC should get on board,” said Wellington.</p>
<p>U.S. PIRG has helped build <a href="http://uspirg.org/news/usp/medical-professionals-call-action-save-antibiotics">a coalition of over 20,000 doctors, nurses, and other health professionals</a> calling for an end to the overuse of antibiotics on livestock and poultry. Taco Bell’s announcement is one more step in the right direction to help protect life-saving medicines.</p>
<p>“<a href="%20KFC,%20help%20save%20antibiotics!">KFC</a>, Taco Bell’s sister brand, should follow this example and serve up a bucket of original recipe chicken raised without routine antibiotics,” said Wellington. </p>
<p><strong>Background:</strong></p>
<p>Antibiotic resistant infections kill 23,000 Americans, and sicken 2 million every year according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most large industrial farms administer antibiotics—up to 70% of antibiotics sold in the U.S. are used on livestock and poultry—on a routine basis to animals that often aren’t sick to promote growth and prevent disease brought on by unsanitary production practices. That overuse breeds antibiotic resistant bacteria that rapidly multiply and spread off of farms via contaminated meat, direct human to animal contact, and through the air, water, and soil.</p>
<p>Taco Bell’s announcement comes after U.S. PIRG and 80 other organizations <a href="http://uspirg.org/page/usp/letter-yum-brands-about-overuse-antibiotics-livestock-production">sent a letter</a> in January to Taco Bell’s parent company, Yum! Brands, urging the company to commit to a strong antibiotics policy.</p>
<p>For more info <a href="http://uspirg.org/issues/usp/stop-overuse-antibiotics-factory-farms-0">here</a>.</p>
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<p><em>U.S. PIRG is an independent, non-partisan group that works for consumers and the public interest. Through research, public education and outreach, we serve as counterweights to the influence of powerful special interests that threaten our health, safety or well-being. </em></p>
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KFC policy doesn&#039;t make the cut
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U.S. PIRG
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<p>Taco Bell will no longer serve chicken raised on medically important antibiotics in U.S. locations starting in 2017. The announcement was included in a <a href="http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160419005910/en/Yum!-Brands-2015-CSR-Report-Showcases-Efforts">release</a> from Taco Bell’s parent company Yum! Brands, and comes amid widespread consumer demand and concern from the medical community about the overuse of antibiotics on livestock and poultry. Taco Bell’s announcement will put major market pressure on the meat industry to stop overusing antibiotics and should push its partner brands KFC and Pizza Hut to have stronger commitments as well. </p>
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Tue, 19 Apr 2016 17:06:24 +0000anya@pirg.org48176 at https://calpirg.orghttps://calpirg.org/news/usp/taco-bell-moves-away-chicken-raised-medically-important-antibiotics#commentsSubway’s New Sandwich is Helping Save Antibioticshttps://calpirg.org/blogs/blog/usp/subway%E2%80%99s-new-sandwich-helping-save-antibiotics
<div class="field field-name-field-shared-post-date field-type-datetime field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single" property="dc:date" datatype="xsd:dateTime" content="2016-03-31T00:00:00-07:00">Thursday, March 31, 2016</span></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden">
<p>Last year consumers nationwide called on Subway to <a href="http://uspirg.org/blogs/blog/usp/victory-subway-commits-help-save-antibiotics">serve meat raised without antibiotics</a>, and they just delivered.</p>
<p>Here at U.S. PIRG, we didn’t bother to contain our excitement. Instead, we ran out and ordered some sandwiches. They did not disappoint. As it turns out, protecting public health tastes great!</p>
<p><img alt="" class="media-image" typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://calpirg.org/sites/pirg/files/styles/large/public/Subway%20Blog%20Image.png?itok=fnoSzIOC" /></p>
<p>Beyond the pleasing combination of chicken raised without antibiotics, veggies, and zesty honey mustard, this sandwich is one you can feel good about buying. In fact, it’s the first step of <a href="http://uspirg.org/blogs/blog/usp/sub-stantial-achievement">Subway’s important commitment</a> to help stop the overuse of antibiotics on factory farms.</p>
<p>Last October Subway committed to transition away from all meat raised on antibiotics, starting first with chicken. When describing what led to this new antibiotics commitment Dennis Clabby, executive vice president of Subway’s meat purchasing operations, said “today’s consumer is ever more mindful of what they are eating, and we’ve been making changes to address what they are looking for.”</p>
<p>Consumers are looking for meat raised without the routine use of antibiotics. And it’s not just a food fad, it’s helping to tackle one of the biggest public health threats we face.</p>
<blockquote><p class="tab"><em>"Right now, I think the whole world is concerned about drug-resistant bacteria and use of antibiotics on animals is a big part of it."</em> -- Dr. Stuart Levy, director of the Center for Adaptation Genetics and Drug Resistance at Tufts University</p>
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<p>The whole world is concerned for good reason. We’ve known of <a href="http://uspirg.org/blogs/blog/usp/phantom-and-other-menaces">the link between antibiotics use on farms and antibiotic resistance</a> since the 1970’s, when researchers first approached the FDA about the dangers of administering routine antibiotics to livestock and poultry. The relation between superbugs and the inappropriate use of antibiotics in agriculture has <a href="http://uspirg.org/blogs/blog/usp/state-antibiotics-2016">only become clearer since</a>, yet it’s still common practice in the meat industry to administer daily, low doses of drugs to livestock and poultry that aren’t sick.</p>
<p><a href="http://uspirg.org/blogs/blog/usp/foundation-crumbling">You can read more about that here.</a></p>
<p>As animals receive daily, low doses of antibiotics, the bacteria that survive can spread into our communities and cause <a href="http://uspirg.org/blogs/blog/usp/10-reasons-worry-about-antibiotic-resistance">infections that can be difficult (if not impossible) to treat</a>. These <a href="http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2016/03/03/cdc-hai-amr/">are all too common</a>, and demonstrate that there is never a reasonable excuse for improper antibiotics use that at best, wastes life-saving medicines and at worse, contributes to the rise of <a href="http://uspirg.org/blogs/blog/usp/phantom-and-other-menaces">truly nightmare bacteria</a>.</p>
<p>So when major chain restaurants like Subway – some of the largest purchasers of meat in the country – stop buying and serving meat raised on routine antibiotics, <a href="http://uspirg.org/blogs/blog/usp/nationwide-public-health-celebration">it is a big deal</a>. Subway plans to phase out the sale of chicken raised on routine antibiotics by the end of 2016, turkey by the end of 2017, and beef and pork to follow within eight years. As it does so, its suppliers will as well, or risk losing a major purchaser. We’re seeing producers choose the former time and again. Every time a producer like Tyson, Cargill, or Perdue commits to phase out the routine use of antibiotics on their livestock and poultry, we cut significantly into one of the main sources of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.</p>
<p>I’ll continue to support Subway’s commitment to public health by purchasing and enjoying their new Rotisserie Chicken sandwich. As consumers continue to <a href="https://uspirg.webaction.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=14406">speak out</a> and support restaurants working to stop the overuse of antibiotics on factory farms, <a href="https://uspirg.webaction.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=14406">more chains and producers are likely to follow suit</a>. That momentum will trigger more of the marketplace progress that is necessary to ensure that our life-saving medicines remain effective for years to come.</p>
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<a href="/topics/food" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Food</a> </li>
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Thu, 31 Mar 2016 21:13:20 +0000anya@pirg.org47536 at https://calpirg.orghttps://calpirg.org/blogs/blog/usp/subway%E2%80%99s-new-sandwich-helping-save-antibiotics#comments